Restrictions eased at Highway 530 mudslide bypass

OSO — A week after the Seattle City Light Access Road opened to public traffic, officials have expanded the list of vehicle types permitted to use the detour around the Highway 530 mudslide.While the single-lane dirt road is still limited to use by locals and those who have ties to the community or local business interest, the kinds of vehicles permitted now include:

Trailers up to 24 feet, including horse trailers and dump truck pups. Previously, trailers were not allowed.

All vehicles of legal weight. Previously the limit was 15,000 pounds.

Log trucks are now permitted 24 hours a day.

School buses and recreational vehicles.

Semi-trucks with trailers up to 33 feet long.

“Drivers should be able to negotiate their vehicle over steep grades of up to 18 percent,” the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a news release. “For larger vehicles, drivers should be skilled and familiar with the area and road due to a tight corner on the west side.”Meanwhile, WSDOT will host a job fair at the Darrington Community Center on Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. In attendance will be contractors short-listed for the Highway 530 reconstruction contract, as well as the firm awarded the contract for clearing the roadway, WSDOT maintenance and Snohomish County Public Works.WSDOT has already hired 27 people to work as spotters to help look for personal belongings and other sensitive materials as crews work to clear the road. “We are still accepting additional applications,” the Transportation Department said.For more information, email SR530info@wsdot.wa.gov.

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